Abjuration
by Forru
Summary: No one thinks of Link as more than the Hero, and the knowledge of such drives him to extreme measures. "Nothing of the works of nature could have produced this. He shuddered, a tremor of ice sliding through his veins." -T for light blood, but really any a


**I randomly thought of this idea one day. I decided to give it a try.**  
><strong>Am I the only one noticing that the moment Link becomes a 'hero' to someone in the games, that's all he is to them? Or am I hallucinating?<strong>

**I will be getting back to "Shadow Warrior" as soon as I have a computer I'm allowed to use permanently! In the meantime, the first few chapters of it were me starting to rewrite it, and I will continue to do so whenever I have a computer and time to. Expect sloooooow updates :]**

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><p>Branches lay scattered across the ground, leaves dropped about in a disheveled state. The trees seemed almost bare on a single side, their branches having been torn off. Droplets of blood splayed in random places, a keleidoscope effect. In the center of the crime scene lay a single man. His dirty-blonde hair tussled and dangy, traditional Ordonian clothing torn and beaten up. A light wind played with the battered trees, fiddling with the boy's ragged clothing. A light moan escaped his lips. Wh-... where was he? He forced his eyes open, blinking ferociously at the overbearing sunlight. Oh, that was right.<br>Faron Woods. A frown played on his features, how had he not died? He tasted a salty and metallic scent at the back of his throat, swallowing it away. He tried to push himself to a sitting position, only to fall back down. There was a deep gash on his lower torso. His hand instictively reached for it, pressing over the bleeding wound. Pain. It would be far too easy to lie here, far too easy to expire. He reached for his waist, finding broken glass had cut into his thigh. Turns out his only bottle had broken.

Link glanced around the scenery, it was a mess. Nothing of the works of nature could have produced this, the place might as well have been ransacked. He shuddered, a tremor of ice sliding through his veins. The glass was cold. He fixed his sight onto the sky, sore eyes glad the sun had already passed high-noon. A silly thought, followed by a chuckle. Hyrule's hero, Chosen by the Goddesses themselves, so easily beaten to a pulp. Tossed aside, left to die. Pathetic. Simply pathetic. He let his mind wander upon the topic, not quite caring that Ilia's charm, a necklace with a horseshoe-shaped whistle, was still laced around his neck.

He was Hyrule's hero. Nothing more, nothing less. His survival, as he'd been told countless times, would effect the very outcome of the land. So... why did he find himself not trying to perservere? Six words only. Hyrule did not need saving anymore. Zant was dead, Ganondorf had been defeated, and the link between Light and Twilight was gone. There'd be no more struggle. Or, at least, that was the plan. With all threats to Hyrule gone, Link was no longer needed. It did not matter what happened to him anymore. That sickened him.  
>Along his journey, he'd made countless friends. He'd formed some bond with someone everywhere he went. It didn't matter who he was, though, once they saw the power he wielded. Link, the determined lad with a kind heart. No, everyone thought of him as "The hero." Every single person he'd met, only thinking of his great strength. No thoughts beyond his incredible capability. Sure, they appreciated him, and yes, he'd been gifted for his deeds wholeheartedly plenty times. But in the end, it was always the same. No one cared what type of man he was. It didn't matter, so long as he was the man that'd ensure their protection. Such was the sick joke of the Goddesses.<p>

No one saw him as _just_ Link. Not even the Resistance Group. Sure, Telma showed her friendly affection, but something about that go-lucky attitude of her's told Link she talked to everyone that way. After all, shop owners needed returning customers. Shad was constantly awed by Link's physical ability. Ashei was perplexed, constantly thinking of the multiple deeds he'd done, as was Auru. He'd amazed Midna countless times, but what he liked was that she accepted it, never letting her mind linger too long that her servant was more than she bargained for. Heck, young Agitha only saw Link as a man for her own personal gain! The Bug Prince, a valient knight who saved her lost guests. Even in the eyes of children, Link was only something to be idled. Never a man to be known personally.  
>Link found himself focused on Midna again. She... appeared nicer after collecting the Fused Shadows. She probably truly thought of things, and feared she ever had the idea that she could control him. Maybe that was why, after seeing his true might when he wielded the Master Sword, she lessened up... That couldn't be true. Midna was a true friend, ever faithful. There wasn't a glimmer of doubt in his mind. Her constant acceptance of him was what made her more remarkable than most others. A thin line of blood had finally slid down his side, sinking atop the ground. Link winced, grasping his wound tighter. He heard footsteps nearby, someone getting closer.<p>

A light shriek, and the next thing he knew Ilia was knelt beside him. "Link! How... Who did this to you?" She asked. A smirk reached his lips as he replied, "Bokoblins." He half expected her to freak out, fearing whatever had managed to tear the Hero apart. Instead, he was asked how many there were. He told her ten, maybe more. Any second now, she'd be like all the others. Frantic fear over the _Hero_, because the _Hero_ was supposed to be invinsible. Not because poor ol' Linkie here was hurt. He wasn't expecting Ilia to slap to him on his cheek.  
>"You idiot! What made you think you could take on so many! I swear, if my father's been putting foolish thoughts into your head again..." Ilia swore under breath, taking out her red potion and a cloth. She dabbed the cloth with the potion, pressing it over the wound. Link watched her, dumbfounded. A single villager, amongst the thousands of residents in the Kingdom, actually treating him like a real person? Simply unheard of nowadays. He didn't know how to react. That was why, when handed the bottle with the rest of the potion, he did not grab it. And that was why Ilia handfed him it.<br>She saw the necklace, asked why he didn't use it. With a smug grin, Link told her he forgot. She refrained from slapping him again. Link wondered what Ilia was doing out here in the first place. Why did she conveniently show up? So he asked her.

"I was only taking a walk. I heard a wierd squeak noise, so I came this way. Guess it was only you trying to hold back an outburst." There was no smirk or giggle at that last remark, like Link had been expecting from Ilia. She always had that teasing charm -not one as sarcastic as Midna's, but still- and it was strange to see it absent. She must have seen his confusion, the flicker of worry in his eyes, for she said, "Don't get me wrong. You're still my careless idiot."-they both smiled at that statement-"But, you've been acting different lately. Care to tell me why?"  
>Link modestly refused, not wanting to put a damper on her day.<br>"My day's already been ruined enough, thanks to your recklessness, if that's been on your mind." Ilia added. Link sighed, happy to see there was still no winning against her. Ilia truly had not changed. So, he vented to her. She listened, nary any interruption. Finally, someone other than Midna he could talk about these things to. And, like Midna, she never gave her opinion until he'd satisfied his ravenging mind and heart. At first, Ilia was too stunned to say anything. She did not want to feed the flames that had been eating away at her best friend. She wished... she wished this was some sort of dream, or a place she could hide in until the problem disappeared. Instead, she chose to speak.

"No one in Ordon treats you differently." That was true. Everyone in Ordon still saw Link the same as before his journey, whatever had happened then. Link had only vented on the outcome of such an adventure; losing a friend, being unwanted, only seen at this accursed Hero. Link replied,  
>"They don't know the truth." An eerie, awkward silence draped over the scene. This was also true. For once, Link had managed to make Ilia at a loss for words. Ordon saw Link as their Link, the goatherder with the kindest heart anyone ever saw. No one knew his true might, save maybe Rusl. How would they react to hearing his tales? Neither of them had a clue, nor did they want to know.<br>"... Link... You grew up with these people. If anyone knows you for you, it sure is Ordon." Ilia said. Link found no other sentence in the world so much sweeter. Home wouldn't care what he'd done, they'd only care who he was. That was all he wanted. Life with fame was dull and upsetting. It was why he'd stopped wearing the tunic long ago, to try and hide the fact that he was The Hero Garbbed in Green countless gossipers in Castle Town spoke of. But Ilia had given him profound confidence, with such a simple sentence. She was capable of doing that, it was one of the many things he'd come to love about her. Maybe he'd confide in the other villagers, some day. But, for now, he'd tell Ilia, bit by bit, the secret of what had happened after the children were kidnapped so long ago. If she reacted well -there was no doubt about this, the two of them understood each other like an open book- surely the others would, too.

"You ready to try and head back to the village?" Ilia asked him. Link nodded. After much effort, he was standing, leaning against Ilia for support. He blew the horseshoe whistle, and in no time Epona appeared. It was difficult to get someone who could barely stand on a horse, that much rang ridiculously true in the next few moments. While riding back, Link bit his lip. He asked Ilia,

"You... you will be sure to say Bokoblins did this to me, right?"

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><p><strong>If you liked this, check out the sequel, "Incoherent, Synchronous" :D<strong>

**EDIT 6/11/12: Fixed all typos.**


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